By Taylor Byers, Swimming World College Intern.
There are countless different brands, styles, sizes and colors of swim bags. Swim bags are indestructible, surviving anything from the hot summer sun, a winter storm, the puddles of water on the pool deck and the soaring splashes of water from a swimmer’s powerful butterfly kick.
Along with being a storage unit for the swim necessities, a swimmer’s bag is a mode of expression, displaying various aspects of its owner’s personality. Below are some uniquely styled swim bags seen throughout the years.
The Bag Tags
Photo Courtesy: Taylor Byers
Swimmers attend so many types of meets throughout their years. Different invitationals and championships require the swimmers to have deck passes as a way to regulate who has access to the deck. Many swimmers find it fun to collect these bag tags and keep them on their bags as a form of expression. Some may view it as a way to spice up their swim bag and others may view it as a form of accomplishment for qualifying and competing at all those meets.
The Backup for the Backup for the Backup
Photo Courtesy: Taylor Byers
Some swimmers like to be prepared. Having a backup cap and googles is something most swimmers carry just in case a cap suddenly rips or a goggle strap breaks. However, there are those swimmers who take it to the next level: they make sure to have a backup for their backup pair along with having a third backup pair (and so on). Being overly prepared is never a bad idea, as you never know exactly what will happen.
The Bare Necessities
Photo Courtesy: Taylor Byers
In contrast to being over prepared, there are those swimmers who bring the bare minimum to meets. This causes several questions to arise: “Do you have a towel?” “Clothes for on deck?” “Snacks and a water bottle?” Their argument may consist of: “All you need is a suit cap and goggles to swim!” At least this swimmer would have a lighter load on their shoulders compared to carrying a heavier bag.
The Snack Drawer
Photo Courtesy: Taylor Byers
Let’s face it – swimmers love to eat. They are always looking for a quick snack to or from practice, at meets, or just in the middle of the day. Swimmers with a loaded snack bag are always prepared for that stomach-call of hunger. The swimmer who has the grocery store snack aisle in their bag knows how to make sure their body is fueled and refueled as needed.
The Trash Can
Photo Courtesy: Taylor Byers
In contrast to “the snack drawer,” this bag is the aftermath of snacking. Wrappers upon wrappers have been collected by this swimmer from day to day snacking and from meet day snacking. The stash of wrappers stored in pockets of swim bags may be from pure laziness; however, an optimistic view could be looking at this bag style as a creative way a swimmer can remind themselves that they are fueling their bodies right – the wrappers are motivation to keep doing so.
The Artsy
Photo Courtesy: Taylor Byers
Some swimmers get crafty when it comes to their swim bag. Adding ribbon or key chains to spice it up is yet another form of expression. Swimmers may add things to zippers or handles to differentiate their bag from their teammate’s or other swimmer’s bags. This could also just be a simple way to make them happy and feel confident.
Swim bags are a part of the swim culture that do not receive enough credit. How swimmers decorate and maintain their swim bags are another aspect that makes this sport so special. Next time you are at a meet, race or at the local pool, take a look at other swim bags and see what you notice! How does your bag stand out among the rest?
All commentaries are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Swimming World Magazine nor its staff.
Now that was a nice and entertaining read of which I can relate to when looking at the swim bags of my three children, who by the way are ecstatic to be back with their team practicing their craft. ???
Kalina Grace
Kayla Newman you do all but underprepare